Family Ceremonies

Family Ceremonies

If you are apart from your family, you can decide upon a reminder together, and create a simple ceremony of connection that defies any distance.

Life's journeys may sometimes take us away from our families and friends, but there are many ways to stay connected. Aside from making use of the technology available--speaking on the phone or seeing each other from across cyberspace--we can create simple ceremonies using nature and our own thoughts to connect our hearts across the miles.

The first step in creating your ceremony is to look to nature for similarities in the different surroundings. The second step is agreeing upon something that is meaningful to all involved. If your mother loves birds, then perhaps each time you hear a bird chirp, you can think of her and mentally send love. You may choose the sight of a butterfly, the feel of a breeze or raindrops, or the scent of flowers to remind you of a special someone. The pink glow of sunset might be your favorite time to send a thought, or perhaps the warming oranges of sunrise. We can all see the sun, the moon, and an array of twinkling stars when we look to the skies. The monthly full moon may be your time to connect with your loved ones, or the first star you see each night, knowing that they, too, are gazing into the night sky and sending love. You could choose a day that you would usually celebrate together, such as a holiday or a solstice. If you once shared Sunday brunches in the garden, you can each seek out a garden on Sundays. Or you can choose a specific time and account for the time difference in order to connect by heart and mind at exactly the same moment.

With practice, we may learn to recognize the feeling that comes when a loved one sends energy our way, and the feeling of soul-to-soul communication. In this case, distance may indeed make our connections stronger. There is certainly much to make us think of our close friends and loved ones often, but when we decide upon a reminder together, we create a simple ceremony of connection that defies any distance.

DailyOM Course Spotlight

by Abi Carver

One of the reasons yoga is so effective at alleviating pain in the lower back, neck and shoulders is that it works on a number of different levels simultaneously--loosening up joint restrictions, stretching tight muscles, re-activating weak muscles, adjusting alignment, relaxing the body and calming the mind. Yoga--along with a few other simple techniques--can be really effective at relieving the pain. We can release tension, restore range of motion and re-activate weakened muscles. A regular yoga practice has the potential to prevent and heal injury, to make you stronger, fitter, more supple, to enhance your physical performance and to sharpen your mental focus. However, with everything you have to do, we know that you don't have time to find a 90-minute yoga for recovery class to attend every week. That's why Abi Carver put together this course to distill and simplify this crucial aspect of your wellbeing into 15-minute guided video practices.